TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

KPK clears Ahok of wrongdoing

Cleared: Medical assistants are seen at Sumber Waras Hospital in Jakarta in this November 2015 photo

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Agnes Anya and Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, June 15, 2016

Share This Article

Change Size

KPK clears Ahok of wrongdoing

C

span class="inline inline-center">Cleared: Medical assistants are seen at Sumber Waras Hospital in Jakarta in this November 2015 photo. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) dropped on Tuesday its preliminary investigation into alleged graft surrounding the purchase of the hospital’s land by the city administration.(JP/Seto Wardhana)

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has refused to bow to pressure from the House of Representatives to continue its probe into the Sumber Waras Hospital land acquisition, emphasizing that it found no irregularities in the purchase by the Jakarta administration.

After a hearing with House Commission III overseeing security, human rights and legal affairs, KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo said his investigators had found no unlawful acts in the reported case after auditing and conducting a preliminary investigation into the Supreme Audit Agency’s (BPK) report.

“To be quite sure, maybe we will invite the BPK to directly discuss with our investigators,” Agus said on Tuesday.

The KPK said that based on consultation with several experts, it found no corruption in the city administration’s 2014 decision to buy a plot of land for Rp 775.69 billion (US$58.16 million) from the hospital.

Prevailing law prohibits the KPK from stopping an investigation once it has named a suspect in a case. The fact that no suspect has been named in the Sumber Waras land acquisition and no irregularities have been found suggest the antigraft body may halt the probe.

Halting the probe would also clear allegations against Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama ahead of the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election.

However, Agus refused to say whether the KPK would close the case or not, because a hearing on the matter with the House was adjourned until Wednesday morning.

KPK deputy chairman Saut Situmorang said on Tuesday that there had never been any friction among KPK leaders since the antigraft body started its preliminary investigation into the case in October 2015.

In October 2015, Agus’ predecessor, Taufiequrachman Ruki, opened the investigation into the Sumber Waras land purchase after receiving a report in August from an individual identified as Amir Hamzah, who later received support from a number of city councilors long opposed to Ahok.

The KPK under Ruki wanted to push ahead on Ahok in the Sumber Waras case before his departure in December, but KPK investigators handling the case insisted that they found insufficient evidence to suggest the purchase was marred by corruption.

Agus had no choice but to continue Ruki’s legacy, which had been used as a campaign issue by Ahok’s opponents in the past year, who had urged the KPK to name him a suspect in order to prevent him from running in the election.

“We are solid in the decision. Just wait for the announcement of the final decision on the case at the House tomorrow [Wednesday],” Saut said.

Commission III chairman Bambang Soesatyo expressed surprise about the KPK’s preliminary announcement.

“If the KPK can find no irregularities in the BPK’s report, that means the BPK was careless in doing the audit,” Bambang said.

Besides the Sumber Waras case, the KPK is also investigating alleged bribery in connection with draft bylaws on the Jakarta Bay land reclamation projects. It has questioned Ahok about issuing permits for the projects. Jakarta councilor Mohamad Sanusi and property developer Agung Podomoro Land (APL) president director Ariesman Widjaja have been detained over the case.

Responding to the KPK’s statement on Sumber Waras, Ahok praised the KPK and said the commission had worked professionally in investigating the issue.

“I thank the KPK for working professionally,” he said. “I made no mistakes with the purchase, as I did not decide on the requirements. I just continued what had been started by previous authorities.”

Asked whether he suspected a setup by the BPK, Ahok declined to comment. “I don’t know. You may interpret it yourself. I don’t want to pick a fight with anyone,” Ahok added.

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.